The holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on what really matters and strengthen bonds with not only family and friends, but also the people with whom you work closely every day. In the spirit of people helping people, why not celebrate the season by giving back to your community and building camaraderie on your team? Forgoing the office holiday party or secret Santa gift exchange to spend the time helping others instead, is a great way to bring your team together, promote problem solving, and foster team bonding. Nothing is more energizing and motivating than uniting behind a worthy cause, collaborating on solutions, and making a positive difference — together.

Here are five rewarding holiday team building activities to help your team give back, get closer, and have fun!

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1.  Celebrate the holidays with seniors.

According to the Institute for Family Studies, more than 60 percent of seniors in nursing homes don’t have visitors and experience loneliness that can intensify during the holidays. Bring a sense of family and friendship to seniors who may be alone this season by volunteering at a local nursing home or hosting a holiday event for residents. Many senior care facilities also organize and plan activities for the holidays, inviting families, volunteers and the community to share food, fun and festivities.

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2.  Bring cheer to hospitalized kids with heartfelt holiday cards.

Many children battling serious illnesses remain in hospital care for a long time, making this time of year especially difficult for these young patients and their families. For an inspiring team building activity, plan and organize holiday card and care package donations for your local children’s hospital, or send handmade cards with an uplifting message of hope to brighten their rooms and their spirits while they recover. Set up a design station in the company break room where team members can create and decorate their customized holiday greetings.

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3.  Give a gift to a child in need.

Spread holiday joy to children in vulnerable communities through the gift of a new toy. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is one of the best-known charities that has been collecting and distributing toys to America’s disadvantaged children since 1947. Instead of a holiday party, build a holiday themed team building activity around a Toys for Tots event at your office, become a toy drop-off site, or volunteer at a local warehouse. Connect with your local Toys for Tots program or another organization in your community to donate holiday gifts to children in need. Don’t forget to think about the larger, world-wide community as well. Consider running a toy drive event for one of the thousands of shelters or orphanages supporting children in need around the globe.

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4.  Volunteer together for a local cause.

Use a service like VolunteerMatch to find great ideas for local organizations and causes your team can support as part of your next holiday team building activity. Whether you volunteer at a local food bank to serve holiday meals, donate time and goods to a homeless shelter, or support an organization like Baby2Baby to provide basic necessities to children living in poverty — giving back as a team creates opportunities to bond with each other and make a real impact on your community.

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5.  Lend a hand to a local animal shelter.

Don’t forget to show our furry friends some love during the holidays. Give back to a local animal shelter or a service like Pets of the Homeless by hosting a donation drive to collect much-needed pet food and supplies. To take your support to the next level, partner with a shelter or rescue organization to organize a local pet adoption event in your community. Your team can also spend time volunteering together at a local shelter to help orphan pets find their forever home this holiday season.

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Whether you stage a food drive, volunteer with the local fire department, help rebuild a local small business after a disaster or participate in any of other community activities on this list, working together for a greater purpose is at the heart of building a strong corporate culture. Finding meaningful ways to give back during the holidays promotes team building by boosting engagement, fostering collaboration and rallying people around a common cause. It also brings our culture and values to life by demonstrating our dedication to serving others and making a positive difference in the communities where we live and work.

Team member happiness and engagement is a priority at Cydcor (have you seen our Cydcor Harlem Shake video?).  As office party experts, we wanted to share some tips to make your office party a success.  Planning a holiday office party doesn’t have to be stressful. These suggestions could make your holiday party one of the best ever!

Have food that everyone can enjoy.

It can’t all be sweets. Have food that can accommodate all diets found in the office. Gluten-free or vegan options can add some variety to the typical holiday nourishment. Try this gluten-free Christmas cookie recipe here.

Create a holiday dress theme that will be memorable.

A holiday festivity isn’t complete without a suggested dress code. Be it an ugly sweater party, to dressing up as famous holiday movie characters, the theme of your holiday party can add a new dimension of fun to the typical work gathering. You could even make it holiday-colored formal wear only!

Incorporate community service or charity into the party.

They don’t call it the season of giving for nothing. While collecting money for food and supplies for the party, donate a portion toward you’re a holiday charity. Not only will you be helping a good cause, but you will also be promoting a theme of the holiday season! Even better, have the party after a community service event that will aid those who won’t have a place to stay for the holidays. At Cydcor, we try to incorporate our fundraising partnership with Operation Smile into many of our events and activities.

Keep the holiday jams coming (but also be negotiable).

Christmas music on repeat may be enjoyable to some but there are also people who aren’t big fans. Mix it up with a few classic party songs as well as some songs to sing along to, like Frosty the Snowman or Baby, It’s Cold Outside. You could even have an employee perform if there happens to be a musician in the office.

Decorate the office with attractive adornments.

It can be tough to get people into the holiday mood without some merry decorations. From fresh wreaths to ribbon garland, there really is no ceiling when it comes to making your party as festive as possible.

Keep everyone amused with fun activities.

There’s always the classic Secret Santa or White Elephant. People love stations for decorating Christmas cookies or building gingerbread houses. A raffle with prizes is a great holiday staple.